Crowd and Disciple
(Mark 8:34)

In the days of Jesus, numerous people followed Jesus, among whom there are two groups. One is ‘crowd’, while the other is ‘disciples’. All of you are not disciples just because you follow Jesus. In the church today there are many crowds of people but few disciples. Jesus wants us to live a life of a true disciple. Today’s passage gives us the following three questions.

1. Crowd or disciple?
The ‘crowd’ refers to those who follow the Lord for their own benefit. The crowd is self-centered people who come to Jesus to have their diseases cured, their problems solved, and their needs filled. However, ‘disciples’ are those who are Jesus-centered and follow Jesus, sacrificing themselves. The Lord wants us to live lives of disciples who follow true values, not belong to the crowd who follow visible blessings. Which do you belong to? To the crowd or to the disciple?

2. What are you following?
In order to become a true disciple of Jesus, we should follow the very example Jesus showed to us as it is. The only object we should follow throughout our lives is Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. As only Jesus Christ is the absolute hope of entire humanity, we should follow Jesus to the end of the world. Now what we are following? Aren’t you following fame; material or power?

3. What life do you live now?
In order to follow Jesus, we should deny ourselves and follow Him, taking up our cross. Denying ourselves means denying our will and accepting God’s will. So the person who denies himself is the one who lives life to admit Jesus is the Lord of his life, confess “I am nothing. The Lord is everything to me.”, and entrust his life to the Lord. Taking up the cross means that we bear all kinds of hardship and sacrifices in following Jesus. To be a disciple of the Lord, we should take up the cross of sacrifice and devotion for the purpose of fulfilling the mission entrusted by God to each. Then what kind of life are we living? Aren’t you looking at the glory of the Lord and avoiding the path of the cross?

Two paths are lying before us. Will you follow Jesus, belonging to the crowd and compromised to the world? Or will you live a life of a true disciple who takes up the cross, denying yourself at any sacrifice? Now only our choice remains. Choose the path of a disciple and live your life as a little Jesus. I bless you and pray that through this, you will change the world with the love of Jesus and leave a beautiful trace of Jesus in the history of humankind.